Recipe: Chickpea salad with chorizo (<i>Garbanzos aliñados con chorizo</i>)

Few countries love the garbanzo bean more than Spain, wrote Spanish cookbook author Janet Mendel earlier this year. They are everyday fare there, and cooks argue the merits of garbanzos coming from specific areas: Segovia or Zamora, Badajoz or Cadiz. They’re used in soups and stews and even in salads, such as this combination that pairs the chewy little legume with Spanish chorizo.

Chickpea salad with chorizo (Garbanzos aliñados con chorizo)

Total time: 10 minutes, plus marinating time

Servings: 6 tapas or 4 salad servings

Note: Start this recipe a day or two before serving, as you’ll need to allow time to soak the chickpeas before cooking, then to marinate them in the oil and lemon dressing. Or, use two cans of ready-to-eat chickpeas instead of cooking them. Drain the liquid, rinse the chickpeas in water, then add the marinade.

3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained

Salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

6 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

3 ounces Spanish chorizo, cut in 3/8-inch dice

1 green onion, including some of the green part, chopped

3 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

12 pitted black olives

1. Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and toss with the salt, oil and lemon juice. Cover and set aside to marinate at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours.

2. Shortly before serving, add the parsley, garlic, chorizo, green onion, bell pepper, tomatoes and olives. Add additional salt, if necessary. Serve cold or room temperature.

Each of 6 servings: 278 calories; 11 grams protein; 25 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams fiber; 15 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 12 mg cholesterol; 5 grams sugar; 261 mg sodium.